Initial Sequence and Comparative Analysis of the Cat Genome

This paper reported the first draft genome of the domestic cat, sequenced at modest coverage from an Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon. Despite the light sequencing, the authors leveraged comparative mapping against human, dog, and mouse genomes to annotate genes and reconstruct ancestral mammalian chromosome arrangements. The project demonstrated the value of the cat as a biomedical model, given the many feline hereditary diseases that mirror human conditions, and it cataloged endogenous retroviruses and other genomic features. As the founding reference assembly, it enabled subsequent studies of feline coat color, disease genes, and the comparative genomics of the broader cat family.